TY  - BOOK
AU  - Meacham,Jon
TI  - American gospel: God, the founding fathers, and the making of a nation 
SN  - 1400065550
AV  - BL2525 .M423 2006
U1  - 322/.10973 22
CY  - New York
PB  - Random House
KW  - Religion and politics
KW  - United States
KW  - History
KW  - Christianity and politics
KW  - National characteristics, American
KW  - Religion
KW  - Religious aspects
KW  - Christianity
N1  - Includes bibliographical references (p. [359]-387)
N2  - Author Meacham tells the human story of how the Founding Fathers viewed faith, and how they ultimately created a nation in which belief in God is a matter of choice. At a time when our country seems divided by extremism, this book draws on the past to offer a new perspective. Meacham re-creates the history of a nation grappling with religion and politics--from John Winthrop's "city on a hill" sermon to Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence; from a proposed nineteenth-century Christian Amendment to the Constitution to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s call for civil rights; from George Washington to Ronald Reagan. At the heart of the American experiment lies what Benjamin Franklin called "public religion," a God who invests all human beings with inalienable rights while protecting private religion from government interference. It is a great American balancing act, and it has served us well.--From publisher description
UR  - http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0630/2006041161-d.html
UR  - http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0630/2006041161-b.html
ER  -